1 tsp mustard powder (regular yellow mustard can be used if you do not have any powder)

2 TBSP coconut sugar (or other sweetener)

Salt & pepper to taste, more pepper than salt

Apple cider vinegar – enough to acquire desired tanginess

Mix everything together. Refrigerate. This goes great with vegan baked beans and some sandwiches or you can eat a huge bowl of it as a meal. Also, you can add raisins, pecans or walnuts, and apples for a waldorf-type slaw. Another variation includes ginger and mandarins. Lots of variations.

I had three avocados that were about to go bad so I decided to make mashed avocado spread to put on chili tortilla sandwiches. To make the spread, I simply mashed the avocados then added a splash of lime juice and a teaspoon of Veganaise and a 1/4 teaspoon each of garlic powder and onion powder.

For the chili filling, drain one can of diced tomatoes, one can of sweet corn, and one can of black beans.

Simmer tomatoes, beans, and corn in a large saucepan or medium stockpot until boiling. Meanwhile, dry fry one chopped sweet onion and 4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced. While dry frying, add chili powder, coconut sugar (or other sweetener), a dash of cinnamon, and some garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, and cayenne pepper. You may also add chopped jalapeno peppers if desired. Cook onions and garlic until carmelized, adding water once in a while after blackening starts to occur. Add to saucepan and simmer. Stir in about 1 cup of crushed lowfat tortilla chips and stir until blended. Add cornstarch and nutritional yeast until sauce thickens. This can now be eaten as chili topped with mashed avocado and maybe some fresh cilantro, or you can heat up tortillas on a panini press or by dry frying briefly in a cast iron skillet and once the tortillas are hot and slightly crispy, slather mashed avocado on them and then add a scoop of chili mixture and some fresh cilantro, wrap and eat.

Veganaise – 1/2 cup, more or less depending on starchiness of potatoes and how creamy you like your potato salad

Yellow mustard – 2 TBSP

Almond milk – 1/4 cup, more if sauce is too thick, less if you desire thicker sauce

Dried parsley – 1/2 tsp

Kala namak black mineral salt – 1 tsp more or less to taste

Dried dill (or fresh if available) – 2 TBSP

Sweet pickle relish – 1/2 cup

INSTRUCTIONS:

Cut potatoes into 1/2 inch or bigger chunks and put into cold water then turn burner on high and once water is boiling, boil the potatoes for about 10 minutes, then check every 45 seconds to see if they are ready. They are done when you rinse a piece off in cold water and eat it and it is not raw inside but the potato is still very firm. DO NOT overcook and allow the potatoes to get too soft or you will have mashed potatoes instead of potato salad. Red potatoes are best, golden potatoes are second best, Russets are not recommended because they tend to mash the moment they are no longer raw, but I have heard of people who are able to make potato salad with Russets.

Once the potatoes are done, immediately rinse them in cold water, drain, then set aside.

Chop the celery and the spring onion (use both white and green parts).

Place chopped celery and onion into a large mixing bowl and add remaining ingredients and mix well.

Add potatoes to mixture and stir well. Cover and refrigerate. Some people add vegan bacon bits such as Bac’Uns by Frontier, but I prefer as is.

As I noted in my last post, I found a large amount of asparagus in our freezer yesterday. In addition to broiled spears which we snacked, I made a hearty chowder in which I also used corn that I canned last summer and figured I should use up before the next corn season which starts in a couple months.

Yesterday we cleaned out the freezer and I found several large bags of asparagus. I thawed some out, spread them on a cast iron pizza pan, sprinkled on some coconut aminos, fresh ground black pepper, and garlic powder and placed it under the broiler. I ended up eating them as a snack while watching TV with my husband.

Nutritionally, a plate of asparagus this size (about 125 spears, give or take – I ate some before I took the picture) contains the following:

This is so fast and simple to make and is one of my husband’s favorites. INGREDIENTS: 2 bell peppers (I used red and yellow) 1 onion 1 can of Eden’s Caribbean Rice and Beans 1 jar spicy salsa (I use a low sodium) 1 can corn, drained (or fresh) 2 avocados Nutritional yeast (optional) Lime juice (optional) Tortillas for tacos or tortilla chips for nachos. INSTRUCTIONS: Dry fry onions and peppers in a large skillet or wok. Do not use oil or water. Add salsa once the peppers and onions are charred. Add beans and rice and corn and heat, stirring constantly. Mash the avocados.
Add some lime juice and nutritional yeast if desired to the mashed avocados. Heat tortillas (I used a panini press). To serve, spoon a little of the rice and bean mixture onto a tortilla with a dollop of mashed avocado. Enjoy! Alternatively, heap mixture onto tortilla chips with some vegan cheese.

Eggplant is sometimes bitter and too thick and crispy to use in lieu of lasagna noodles, so I typically soak it in water overnight at room temperature to take out the bitterness and to soften it. Sprinkling it with salt also has this effect, but I do not typically use salt so that was not an option for me. Keep the pieces submerged in water by placing a plate or pot lid on top of the eggplant pieces until none of them are sticking out of the water.

Also, soak a half cup of raw cashews overnight in water.

The next day, drain and rinse the eggplant pieces and set aside while you make the homemade sauce.

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Put all sauce ingredients except the diced tomatoes into a Vitamix or other blender and blend until frothy. Stir in the diced tomatoes so that the sauce is a little chunky.

Pour a thin layer of the sauce into a large casserole dish (I used a Pyrex 4.8 quart oblong baking dish). Layer with eggplant pieces (single layer).

Add a layer of fresh spinach, then a layer of chopped cremini mushrooms, then another layer of sauce.

Repeat the process of layering with sauce, then eggplant, then spinach, then mushrooms with the last layers consisting of eggplant then sauce.

Blend “cheese” ingredients in a Vitamix or other high speed blender, adding water until the mixture is the consistency of pancake batter. Pour/spread “cheese” batter on top of last layer of sauce then bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about an hour and 15 minutes.

Let stand for about 15 minutes after it is removed from the oven so the sauce can thicken.

Serve topped with garlic powder and vegan Parma.

Since all I had eaten earlier in the day was a personal watermelon fo breakfast and 4 oranges for lunch and I had just gone for a run, I ate this entire tray of lasagna for dinner! Then later, as a late-night snack I ate an entire bowl of fresh strawberries. High-carb ultra-low fat vegan living is definitely not for people who don’t like to feast on huge amounts of delicious food every day. Why would anyone want to eat a restrictive diet instead of thriving on all-you-can-eat food that your body craves and was meant to consume? Did I mention low-sodium and no cholesterol? GO VEGAN!